Thankfully, due to technological advancement, we now have the ability to modernise planning, and the emphasis on digitisation in the planning white paper provides high-level support.
There are many different methods of constructing a building.In addition to conventional methods, alternatives have been developed that deploy prefabrication, pre-assembly, design standardisation and/or automation to some degree and these are collectively referred to as Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)..
Exploring the MMC toolkit: from offsite construction to PPVC and beyond.MMC is the collective term for the innovative construction methods that can be deployed by the DfMA designer.MMC can be considered as the DfMA designer’s “toolkit”.
The DfMA designer finds the most suitable innovations in the MMC toolkit (or develops new innovations) to meet a project’s unique challenges..There are many construction innovations that can be considered MMC.
The UK’s Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) recently established a Joint Industry Working Group on MMC which proposed the following categorisation: 3D primary structural systems, 2D primary structural systems, Non-system components, Additive Manufacturing, Assemblies and sub-assemblies, Material and Product Innovations and Site Process Innovations.
This categorisation is quite diverse and includes a range of pre-manufactured and pre-assembled systems but also non-system components, site-based material innovations and process innovations..Create a direct link between customers and manufacturers, reducing transactional friction.
Enable ease and transparency of procurement and payment.Host a widely distributed network of suppliers, from major materials suppliers to specialist SMEs.
Ensure vendors are rigorously pre-qualified to ensure consistency and quality of components.Ensure transparency and provenance of raw materials and documentation of the complete manufacturing process etc.. Objectively allow buyers to compare products against a range of value criteria; not just costBe a neutral broker, charging buyers and sellers a small fee to use the service on the market does not itself influence the price.